


Back On the Wheel

by orphan_account



Category: Tuck Everlasting - Miller/Tysen/Shear & Federle
Genre: Gen, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 10:53:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8203006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Miles thought he could never have a normal life again. But one slip up with a knife proved that he and his family were finally set free from their curse.





	

It started out as a completely normal Saturday. Miles had just gotten out of the shower and started brushing his teeth. Nothing out of the ordinary. But as he examined his reflection in the mirror, something seemed off. That in itself should have been the first sign. Miles’ appearance hadn't changed in over two hundred years, so his reflection was always the same tired-looking twenty-two year old. But now, something seemed off. Miles couldn't quite place it. As he stared, it hit him. There were wrinkles in the corners of his eyes. Nothing big, but they’d never been there before. He raised an eyebrow curiously. How was he getting wrinkles? He was supposed to be staying the same age forever, that was the curse he’d finally accepted decades before.

Miles shook his head, thinking he was just imagining things. After finishing up in the bathroom, he walked to the kitchen, patting his golden retriever Aurora on the head. He decided to make himself an omelette and pulled out the vegetables that he wanted inside. His thoughts wandered, his mind going over what had just happened. Maybe one of the lights in the bathroom went out and the shadows were hitting his face differently. He couldn't really have new wrinkles, that was just a ridiculous concept. His mind was occupied as he chopped up a tomato for his breakfast. While he wasn't paying attention, the blade slipped and nicked his finger.

“Ow, son of a-” Miles pulled back instinctively, feeling the sharp pain go through his index finger. As he shook off the pain, he realized something: he was bleeding. The knife had cut him, it physically hurt, and he was bleeding. He froze and looked down at his hand in shock. How could he have gotten hurt? Since drinking from the spring, he didn't feel more than slight pain. This was more than he’d felt in centuries. Finding a band aid, he placed it on his finger and immediately called his brother, abandoning his breakfast. As Miles called Jesse, he heard the groggy voice from the other line.

“Miles, some of us have to sleep…” He heard him whine. But Miles didn't have time to deal with Jesse’s messed up sleep schedule.

“Jesse, shut the fuck up and listen. Something’s happening. You need to come here immediately, I have no idea how to explain it, you just do.” He started to pace nervously in his kitchen. Jesse seemed to notice Miles’ frantic tone and instantly sounded more awake.

“Miles, what’s wrong?” He asked. Miles could hear the rustling on the other end as Jesse got dressed.

“You just have to come over, okay?” He sighed deeply.

“Okay, I'll be right there, just chill out.” Jesse said before he hung up. Miles sat down in the living room, his mind racing. If there were wrinkles appearing, then he was aging. If he could feel real pain again, then he was mortal once more. The water’s effects must have finally worn off. Aurora climbed up onto the couch beside Miles and rested her head on his lap. He stroked her fur absentmindedly, not paying any attention to her. The reality of the situation was all he could think of. If he was right, he could finally die. He would finally be able to join his family in whatever afterlife waited for him. Maybe his suicide attempts would work. After all of the overdoses that went through his system like it was no big deal, after every bullet that failed to pierce through his head, and after every leap off of a bridge that should have killed him, maybe he could finally be at peace.

“Hey Miles, the door was unlocked,” he heard his brother’s voice coming from the entryway. “What happened? You sounded really freaked out. Was there a big spider or something in the bathtub?” Jesse teased, hinting at Miles’ distaste for eight-legged creatures.

“No, Jesse. I-I don't know how to explain it, but look at this.” Miles showed his bandaged finger to his brother. Jesse laughed a little and crossed his arms.

“Wow, you decided to put a band aid on for fun. Exciting stuff, Miles. Now I know why you called me over… Here…” Jesse’s voice trailed off as Miles removed the band aid. He saw the cut that was still slightly bleeding and couldn't believe his eyes. “Miles, is it really…” He couldn't even finish his sentence. “No, you're just messing with me. It's just some shitty latex and fake blood, right? Nice one, bro. You really had me going there!” Jesse chuckled.

“Jesse, this isn't fake. Look, as crazy as it sounds, I think the water stopped working. I needed to know if it wasn't just me.” Miles walked over to Jesse. “You have to believe me, I think it's all over now!”

“Fine, give me a knife. I'll prove to you that it's nothing and you're just bluffing.” Jesse rolled his eyes. He didn't believe Miles. After over two hundred years of living, he’d accepted that he was never going to feel like a normal human. Miles must have just been delusional. He returned from the kitchen with a small knife in his hands. Jesse took it and began to slice his thumb. “See, it's nothing- holy shit that hurts!” Jesse yelled as he cut through the skin and began to bleed. “What the fuck?! I thought you were just making some sick joke!” Miles handed him a band aid and he wrapped it around his thumb frantically.

“See?! I'm not crazy!” Miles looked at him. “We have to go talk to ma and pa. They live two hours away, but it's our only option at this point. Our eternity of suffering may have been cut short.” He grabbed his car keys and Aurora’s leash. Jesse was still stunned by the fact that he could feel pain once more. As Miles attached the leash to his dog, he nudged his brother. “Come on, Jesse. The sooner we get answers, the sooner we can be done with all of this immortality bullshit.” Miles left the house, dragging Jesse along behind him. His brother still seemed completely lost, everything setting in as he fiddled with the band aid on his thumb. As he started the car, Miles looked at Jesse, who was still silent. Usually his brother was constantly talking, so Miles knew he was deep in thought. “Hey, what are you thinking about right now?” He asked as they pulled out of the driveway and started the long drive to their parents place.

“How long do you think it's been like this? Like… It couldn’t have just happened overnight, could it?” Jesse sighed. “I’m just wondering what this means for us.”

“It means we can finally have normal lives. We don’t have to move every ten years anymore, we don’t have to stop forming relationships-”

“You’re the only one who stopped forming relationships, Miles,” Jesse pointed out, interrupting him. Miles rolled his eyes.

“I’m just saying we can live like we’re just normal people again.” he shrugged. Jesse nodded and Aurora crawled onto his lap from the backseat. He scratched her chin and looked out the window. He could finally be more than just a kid to his family. If he was aging, he wouldn’t be stuck as a teenager for his whole existence. Jesse would be able to look at least closer to the age he felt.

They sat in silence for the rest of the car ride, both boys just thinking about what the rest of their lives had in store. As they pulled into their parents driveway, Miles got out of the car and stretched, feeling like a different person. As they walked inside, Angus met them at the door, grinning from ear to ear. They hadn’t seen him this excited since Winnie came into their lives over a hundred years prior.

“Boys, I have the best news! We were about to call you, actually,” he said, his voice more cheerful than it had been in decades. Miles and Jesse simultaneously held up their bandaged fingers and Angus chuckled, noticing them. “I guess you figured it out, huh?”

“What does it mean? Are we just free now?” Miles unhooked Aurora’s leash, letting her run through the house. She wagged eagerly and Angus leaned down to scratch her ears.

“It would appear so. We can just live the rest of our lives and age as we should have a long time ago. We’ve been set free of the curse, boys.” Angus smiled at his sons. Jesse grinned and walked further into the house in search of their mother. Miles pulled Angus aside and sighed.

“Pa, what… What if I don’t want to live any longer?” He took a deep breath. Angus looked at him and nodded.

“Then do what you have to, Miles. If you need me and your mother to take care of Aurora, then we will. I know you’ve had it the hardest and I don’t expect you to want to live out the rest of your life. You finally have a way out, and you can take it now or wait for the wheel to run its course. We support you.” Angus patted his shoulder and pulled him into a hug. Miles bit his lip and hugged him back.

“I, um… I’m going to take a walk.” He set his keys down on the table and started to walk out of the house. It wasn’t going to just be a walk, and his father knew that full well. Miles wrapped his arms around himself and walked the short distance down to the bridge that overlooked a river nearly one hundred feet beneath him. He took a deep breath and held onto the side of it. Everything had led up to this moment. He was finally going to see them all again. He would finally be able to see his wife and hold Thomas close again. After thinking he would have to drag on for all eternity and never find a purpose, he’d been granted a small favor. As he started to step off of the bridge and into the rushing water below, a hand reached out and pulled him back. Miles stumbled backwards and fell, looking up at the person who had stopped him.

“Miles, please don’t do it.” Jesse knelt beside him, his eyes filled with tears. Miles shook his head, looking down at the ground.

“Jesse, this is all I can do. I don’t… I don’t want to live. You know this.” He clenched his jaw and turned his gaze to his brother. “What if it’s just temporary and we’re stuck living forever again? I can’t live with the thought that I could have gotten out of it but didn’t take the opportunity I was given. I would just stop caring again. After what happened in ‘77, I don’t know if I could mentally handle another setback like that. I’m not strong enough to deal with that shit again, Jesse.” He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “I just want to see them again. I want to be with my family.” Miles said softly, just loud enough for Jesse to hear.

“We’re your family too. Please, just try it for a month. In a month, school gets out and so you wouldn’t be letting down your students. You can’t just disappear and make them have to deal with that, can you?” Jesse helped his brother up. Miles wrapped his arms around himself again and Jesse hugged him tightly. “You can last a month. If the effects of the water are still gone after that month and you still feel this way, then by all means, end it. But I can’t say goodbye to you yet.” Miles hugged his brother back and felt the hot tears run down his cheeks. He knew he’d still feel the same, but Jesse was right. He had to give it time.

Miles couldn’t quite keep up the same life he’d once had. Even in school, he just felt wrong. The whole month seemed to weigh down on him. But, he pretended like everything was okay. At the end of the year, he resigned. One less thing to worry about. As he went home from work for the last time, he called his brother.

“Hey, Jes. Want to come over? I’ll order pizzas and we can watch a few movies together. I’m finally doing it tomorrow after I drop Aurora off at ma and pa’s place.” For a few seconds, he just heard silence on the other line.

“Yeah, Miles. I’ll be over soon.” Jesse said quietly before hanging up. Miles knew this night was going to be his hardest. He sat on the couch after ordering the pizza for him and his brother and just thought about what he was going to do the next day. Aurora hopped up and settled down on his lap, sensing that something wasn’t right. Miles stroked her fur and sighed.

“I wish I didn’t have to leave you behind.” He murmured softly to her. The door opened and Jesse came in, a small smile on his face instead of the wide grin he usually had.

“Hey. I’m sorry you’re still feeling like this, but I get it.” Miles rose from the couch and walked over to his brother. In just the one month, Jesse had actually grown about four inches. Miles knew he was thrilled about that. He hugged Jesse tightly and sighed.

“I’m sorry too. Let’s just forget about it and just have a normal Friday night, okay?” Miles tried to smile. Jesse nodded and they spent the next few hours together. After all the pizza was gone and all of Miles’ favorite movies had been watched, Jesse stood up to leave. Miles stopped him and pulled him in for another tight embrace. Jesse wrapped his arms around his older brother, knowing that this was the last time he’d see him.

“Hey… I’m really proud of you for making it this far.” Jesse patted him on the back. Miles smiled through the tears and held onto Jesse, not wanting to let go. “I’ll see you eventually. Wherever the hell we end up.” Jesse chuckled, pulling away from him. “I love you, Miles. You’re a great brother.” Jesse grabbed his car keys and left, wiping away his own tears.

The next morning, Miles could barely focus on the road through the tears. Aurora sat in the passenger seat, wagging contentedly at the fact that she was going for a drive with her favorite person. As they reached his parents house, Miles trudged inside with her following behind him. Mae and Angus noticed how upset he looked. Mae hugged him tightly and stroked his cheek.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do, Miles?” She looked up at him, knowing he was having second thoughts. Miles nodded and wouldn’t say anything. He’d made up his mind and was determined to go through with it. She kissed his cheek and smiled. “I hope you find what you want. And we’ll take care of Aurora for you.” Miles looked down at his feet and left the house, and his life, behind. As Miles made his way back to the bridge, he finally felt like everything was over. He didn’t have to suffer through life anymore. Miles stepped off, feeling the rush of air as he plummeted, feeling free of his burdens. Then, he felt nothing at all.

Miles sat up in bed, looking around. He remembered everything, but only vaguely. He took a deep breath, thinking everything must have been some intricate, sadistic dream. As he got up, throwing off the covers, he heard a familiar voice from the doorway.

“I was wondering if we’d ever see you again.” Miles whipped around and saw Rose standing there, looking the same as the day they met. A smile crept across Miles’ face as he ran to hug her. He held her close and she wrapped her arms around him.

“I-I wasn’t possessed, Rose. It wasn’t my fault that I-”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is that you’re finally here. In our own personal heaven.” Miles smiled, knowing he wasn’t going to have to face any more problems. He had finally found peace after two centuries of trying to find his purpose.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay like, the ending kinda sucks but I just wanted to finally give Miles some closure.


End file.
